Method, system, integrated circuit, communication module, and computer-readable medium for achieving resource sharing including space and time reuse within a power line communication system

Abstract

A communication system includes communication protocols that allow a single network or multiple neighboring networks to increase resource sharing and reduce mutual interference and increase their overall throughput. Various protocols apply to homogenous networks in which all power line communication (PLC) devices of multiple networks are interoperable with respect to full power line communication in a common PHY (specifications, signaling capabilities, modulation scheme, coding scheme, bandwidth, etc.) and to heterogeneous networks in which devices of some PLC networks are not interoperable with PLC devices of other PLC networks with respect to full power line communication given that the devices of the different networks do not employ a common PHY. With respect to heterogeneous networks, a protocol is provided to enable coexistence via a signaling scheme common to all of the devices of the network that allows resource sharing between the devices of the multiple heterogeneous networks. Homogeneous networks are those in which all nodes can communicate with each other using a common PHY, so that information about one PLC network can be transferred to another PLC network. Heterogeneous networks are those in which not all PLC networks can exchange information using their own native PHY, such as where users in different apartments or houses use different devices having different specifications, different signaling capabilities, modulation scheme, coding scheme, bandwidth and the like.

1. A Time-Slot Reuse (TSR) method for allocating resources in a communication channel, the method comprising:
 (a) determining, for each of a plurality of device pairs within a network, whether the pair of devices may communicate at a particular quality of service (QoS); 
 (b) assigning a first link qualifier to each pair of devices that is determined in step (a) to be able to communicate at the particular QoS and assigning a second link qualifier to each pair of devices that is determined in step (a) to be unable to communicate at the particular QoS; 
 (c) allocating, for a pair of first and second network devices that has the first link qualifier assigned thereto, a channel resource for communication of payload information from the first device to the second device; 
 (d) marking, as available or unavailable, channel resources based on said channel resource allocation in step (c) using a predefined criterion; and 
 (e) allocating, for a second pair of third and fourth devices, an available channel resource on the basis of said criterion in step (d). 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (e) includes allocating the channel resource to the third device for both transmission and reception if both of (i) the pair of the third device and the first device and (ii) the pair of the third device and the second device are assigned the second link qualifier. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (e) includes allocating the channel resource to the third device for transmission if the pair of the third device and the second device is assigned the second link qualifier. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (e) includes allocating the channel resource to the third device for reception if the pair of the third device and the first device is assigned the second link qualifier, and if the pair of the third device and the second device is assigned the first link qualifier. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the channel resource is one of a time slot in a time division multiple access scheme, a spreading code in a code division multiple access scheme and a sub-carrier frequency in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing scheme. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 communicating a signal from the second network device to the first network device;
 determining, based on the received signal, the power required to communicate the information from the first network device to the second network device while satisfying the particular QoS; and 
 transmitting the information from the first network device to the second network device at the determined power. 
 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (d) includes using an MNC (Matrix of Mode Connectivity) which is created through step (a) and step (b) for making as available a channel resource to the third device for both transmission and reception if both (i) the pair of the third device and the first device and (ii) the pair of the third device and the second device are assigned the second link qualifier. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (d) includes using an MNC (Matrix of Mode Connectivity) which is created through step (a) and step (b) for making as unavailable a channel resource to the third device for both transmission and reception if both (i) the pair of the third device and the first device and (ii) the pair of the third device and the second device are assigned the first link qualifier. 
     
     
       9. A Time-Slot Reuse (TSR)apparatus for allocating resources in a communication channel, the apparatus comprising:
 a device pair communication determining section that determines, for each of a plurality of device pairs, whether the device pair is able to communicate at a particular QoS; 
 a link qualifier assignment section that assigns a first link qualifier to each pair of devices that is determined to be able to communicate at the particular QoS and a second link qualifier to each pair of devices that is determined to be unable to communicate at the particular QoS; and 
 a communication channel allocator that allocates, for a pair of first and second network devices that has the first link qualifier assigned thereto, a communication channel for communication of payload information from the first device to the second device, wherein: 
 the communication channel allocator: 
 allocates the channel resource to a third network device concurrently with the allocation performed for the pair of first and second network devices, based on assignments of the first link qualifier or the second link qualifier made by the link qualifier assignment section to the pair of the third device and the first device and to the pair of the third device and the second device to enable TSR of the channel resource. 
 
     
     
       10. A Time-Slot Reuse (TSR) integrated circuit for allocating a resource of a communication channel, the integrated circuit comprising:
 a device pair communication determining section that determines, for each of a plurality of device pairs, whether the device pair is able to communicate at a particular QoS; 
 a link qualifier assignment section that assigns a first link qualifier to each pair of devices that is determined to be able to communicate at the particular QoS and a second link qualifier to each pair of devices that is determined to be unable to communicate at the particular QoS; and 
 a communication channel allocator that allocates, for a pair of first and second network devices that has the first link qualifier assigned thereto, a communication channel for communication of payload information from the first device to the second device, wherein: 
 the communication channel allocator; 
 allocates the channel resource to a third network device concurrently with the allocation performed for the pair of first and second network devices, based on assignments of the first link qualifier or the second link qualifier made by the link qualifier assignment section to the pair of the third device and the first device and to the pair of the third device and the second device to enable TSR of the channel resource. 
 
     
     
       11. A Time-Slot Reuse (TSR) communication module comprising:
 a device pair communication determining section that determines, for each of a plurality of device pairs, whether the device pair is able to communicate at a particular QoS; 
 a link qualifier assignment section that assigns a first link qualifier to each pair of devices that is determined to be able to communicate at the particular QoS and a second link qualifier to each pair of devices that is determined to be unable to communicate at the particular QoS; and 
 a communication channel allocator that allocates, for a pair of first and second network devices that has the first link qualifier assigned thereto, a communication channel for communication of payload information from the first device to the second device, wherein: 
 the communication channel allocator: 
 allocates the channel resource to a third network device concurrently with the allocation performed for the pair of first and second network devices, based on assignments of the first link qualifier or the second link qualifier made by the link qualifier assignment section to the pair of the third device and the first device and to the pair of the third device and the second device to enable TSR of the channel resource.